We Marched, and Now We (Take a) Stand…

‘What you stand for is what you stand on,’ Wendell Barry once famously said.

At Stonyfield, this pretty much defines our whole approach to how we do business and to the things we’re passionate about. And one of the things we’re most passionate about is a healthy planet. After all, when you start as an organic farming school, it turns out that there’s a lot to say about what it takes to keep the planet healthy (and the cows happy).

So last week, we were proud to stand at the base of the New Hampshire Statehouse and demonstrate our support for strong climate policy. As we see it, climate action isn’t merely a good thing to do; it’s a fundamental business issue and one we’re not willing to back away from.

That’s why we were also proud to sign our name alongside the thousands/hundreds of other businesses around the world who urged global governments to support the agreements coming out of the 2016 Paris Climate Agreement. Those agreements broke new ground, bringing our collective talent, creativity and resources to bare on a problem we all face together.

Today, we’re ready to stand with many of these same businesses again as the US commitment to the Paris agreement is now being questioned by the Trump Administration. We say, as a business, we want our government to embrace collective action on climate change, and to keep the commitment we made to cut carbon emissions. Far from hurting business, climate action reduces risk and spurs innovation. In fact, taking actions to reduce your carbon impact is actually smart business. Activities like reducing packaging waste, building a waste water treatment plant that turns dirty water into energy, building a green office building not only cut emissions, they save money and add to your bottom line, too. We’ve learned this first hand as we continue to work on reducing our footprint. So, in addition to protecting the environment for generations to come, reducing carbon creates strong, thriving businesses as well.

We’ll continue to stand for what we care about, and for the idea that business can and must be part of the solution to climate change. Especially now, when traditional institutions are failing in leading this movement.

If you’re wondering what you can do as an individual, here are 5 quick and easy ways to make a difference:

Voice your opinion – call your elected officials and tell them that you strongly oppose removing the United States from the Paris Agreement. Climate change is real, it’s a real risk to the world, and the United States should be a leader in climate science and actions that reduce our climate impact. Visit this link to find numbers and contacts.

Find or request a free Climate Reality presentation –There are climate leaders throughout the country eager to share information and help you and your group learn how to make the future a better place – locally and globally. Find a presenter or request a presentation here.